Friday, December 05, 2014

Supernatural Friday: Gruss vom Krampus!

Christmas is not just
a time of joy, gifts, and goodwill, it’s also a season of dark myths and
legends. In the olden days in Finland, they believed in Joulupukki. That word means Yule buck.

In December, pagan people had big festivals to ward
off the Joulupukki. These
spirits of darkness wore goat skins and horns. In the beginning this creature
didn't give presents but demanded them. It was an ugly creature
and frightened children. It is unclear how this personality was transformed
into the benevolent Father Christmas. Nowadays the only remaining feature is
the name. The process was probably a continuous amalgamation of many old folk
customs and beliefs from varied sources. One can speak of a Christmas pageant
tradition consisting of many personages with roles partly Christian, partly
pagan: A white-bearded saint, the Devil, demons, and house gnomes. Nowadays the
Joulupukki of Finland
resembles the American Santa Claus. While most gift givers around the world deliver their
presents in the middle of the night while everyone is sleeping, children in Finland get to
see Joulupukki in the act of delivering the presents.

This reminds me of Black Peter and the
Krampus, both being Santa’s “evil twin.” In many areas of the world, it is said
that St. Nicholas has a companion. This companion is Krampus, though another
version is Black Peter, or Zarte Piet or Zwarte Piet. Black Peter is associated
with the Netherlands
and has dark skin. Krampus isn't a man though. He has horns, goat hair, hooves,
and claws. Just like a demon. His job is to accompany St. Nicholas and to warn
and punish bad children. He is said to carry a basket on his back where he will
place the bad children and take them to Hell to be tossed into the pit. It puts
a frightening twist on “have you been naughty or nice!”

Krampus originates from
Krampen--meaning claw. He is is said to be the son
of Hel in Norse mythology. Krampus is the dark companion of St. Nicholas, the
traditional European winter gift-bringer. According to folklore, Krampus purportedly shows up in
towns the night before December 6, known as Krampusnacht, or Krampus
Night. December 6 also happens to be Nikolaustag, or St. Nicholas Day,
when German children look outside their door to see if the shoe or boot they'd
left out the night before contains either presents (a reward for good behavior)
or a rod (bad behavior).

This fiendish being is usually seen
as a classic devil with horns, cloven hooves and monstrous tongue.Unlike American children who get coal if they’re bad, instead the Krampus beats them savagely for their
misdeeds and then drag them down to hell.Born of a pre-Christian, Alpine Pagan tradition, he is
identified by matted-black hair, along tongue that snakes out of his maw, and
cloven hooves. He also sports a large wicker basket on his back, filled to the
brim with thorny, unbreakable birch sticks for those beatings he delivers. He always comes with St. Nick who brings presents, but
before the gifts are handed out, those who are bad is given what they
"deserve" by him.

A more modern take on the tradition in Austria,
Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic involves drunken men dressed
as devils, who take over the streets for a Krampuslauf. This is a Krampus run, where people are chased through the streets by the "devils."With marathons where people run from zombies, this might the next new holiday marathon. After all there is the Tacky Lights Run began in Richmond as of last year. So why not runners bolting from Krampus devils with switches?

There would be young men that dress up in goat skins and masks they spent
two weeks making and on December 5th, head out to scare all, and carry out
"birching," mainly on young girls. Krampus makes the Grinch before his heart went several sizes bigger look good!

pagan tradition is coming back. That “Such impulses may be about assuming
"a dual personality.” Beast side to modern human self.

The Catholic Church forbade the raucous celebrations. Then
fascists in World War II Europe found Krampus despicable because it was
considered a creation of the Social Democrats.

Krampus is making a comeback now, due to the "bah,
humbug" attitude in pop culture. Krampus walks—like the RVA Krampusnacht to be held tomorrow
night in Richmond that I will have to miss as being out of town— and Krampus parties
are coming back with a vengeance. Some can
be found here: Krampus.com

Austria is commercializing the harsh persona of
Krampus, selling chocolates, figurines, and collectible horns. There are Krampus ugly sweaters, sweatshirts, postcards
and more that on can purchase of their favorite Yuletide demon. Looks like Krampus is fast on his way to becoming commercialized.

About Me

Pamela K. Kinney is a published author of horror, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, and nonfiction ghost books published by Schiffer Publishing. Her latest fiction includes short horror stories, "Donating" in Inhuman Magazine, Issue 5 December 2011 and "Bottled Spirits" (a Predator and Editor 2012 winner and a 2013 WSFA Small Press Award runner up), “Azathoth is Here" reprinted by Innsmouth Press in Innsmouth Magazine: Collected Issues 1-4 in Kindle and ePub formats, short dark fantasy, “Devil in the Details,” included in Harboring Secrets anthology and short horror story, “Let Demon Dogs Lie” released in Southern Haunt: Devils in the Darkness anthology March 2014, and coming soon, a fantasy short story, “Weregoat” in Strangely Funny II anthology. And of course, she has her horror and dark fantasy tales collection in print and download, Spectre Nightmares and Visitations, published by Under the Moon.
She also has done acting on stage and in films, is a Master Costumer, costuming since 1972, and she even does paranormal investigating, including for DVDs for Paranormal World Seekers, filmed by AVA Productions.